Action for upright pianos



Nov. '3, 1953 R. A. WOLFE ACTION FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS Filed April 25, 1952 INVENTOR. RALPH A. WOLFE Patented Nov. 3, 1 953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICIE ACTION FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS Ralph A. Wolfe, Wichita, Kans.

Application April 25, 1952, Serial No. 284,287

Claims. (01. 84-240) This invention relates to an improved and highly simplified action for upright pianos.

It is the chief object of the invention to provide an action by which motion is transmitted from the key arm to the hammer and to the damper in a much simpler manner, and in which a considerable number of the parts used in conventional actions are completely eliminated.

It is a further object to provide an action in which the key motion is transmitted to both hammer and damper in a more direct and positive manner than in conventional actions, and in which the required adjustments are fewer than in conventional actions.

More specifically the invention omits the action brackets, the jack regulating bar, the jack and jack spring, the bridle strap or tape, the check, the backstop, the prolong and prolong lever, and the hammer rail, all of which are present in conventional actions. As a result, my invention provides a much less expensive construction, and one having a longer trouble free life. From a purely economic standpoint a high quality piano embodying my improved action is being sold at a retail price approximately equivalent to the wholesale price of the least expensive piano now on the open market.

Another object is to provide an action which requires less vertical space, less space in fore and aft depth, and less lateral space than other actions. Hammer blow adjustment for various key motions is simple and direct. The elimination of the bridle tape alone makes for greater dependability.

A further object is to provide an action which is so constructed that a hammer cannot be blocked against a string, nor can a hammer vibrate fore and aft to strike a string several times.

The invention will be more clearly understood when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. l is a side elevation, with parts in section, showing my simplified action with key, hammer and damper in idle or at rest positions;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the key fully depressed, damper retracted, and hammer traveling toward the string; and

Fig. v3 is a similar view showing the hammer actually contacting the string and about to return to its Fig. 2 position, the key still being in a fully depressed position.

In the drawings the action supporting frame as a whole includes an upright damper rail I0,

2 a horizontal key bed ll, an action rail I 2, and a balance rail [3, all of which extend the full width of the piano key board, and serve to mount the actions for the individual strings.

A wippen I I is pivoted at [5 on a trunnion cradle l6, fixed on the action rail. The forward end of the wippen is fitted with a stop screw H, the head of which contacts felt pad [8 to adjustably limit wippen movement. It also carries an upright damper spoon I9. A hammer butt 20 is pivotally mounted at 2| in a trunnion cradle 22, and seats on the aft end of the wippen [4. The butt supports the usual hammer shank 23 and hammer 24. A curved leaf spring 25 has one end mounted on the trunnion cradle, and its other end bears against the forward edge of the butt 20 to normally keep the butt seated flat against the upper surface of the wippen, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The wippen is supported in the at rest position shown in Fig. 1 by an adjustable capstan 26 mounted on the forward end of a conventional key arm 27, the head of the capstan bearing against a felt pad 28 carried by the wippen.

The key arm is fulcrumed on the balance rail l3 and is conventionally guided in its movement by upright pins 29 and 30 cooperating with fore and aft slots 3| and 32 in the key arm. The forward end of key arm 21 normally rests on a felt pad 33, while its rear end contacts pad 34, when depressed.

An upright damper lever 35 is pivoted at 36 in a trunnion cradle 31 fixed on the damper rail Ill. The lower end of damper lever 35 is spring pressed by leaf spring 38 into contact with the upper end of spoon l 9, a pad 39 absorbing the actual contact. A resilient wire 40 is carried by lever 35, and in turn adjustably supports damper block 4|, the vertical adjustment being accomplished by a set screw 42. The forward end of block 4| carries a damper 43 which normally rests against string 44 as a result of the pressure of spring 38 against the lower end of the damper lever.

Operation The three drawing views clearly illustrate the operation of the described action. When key arm 21 is depressed to the Fig. 2 position, capstan 26 forces wippen Hi to pivot upward until stop screw I! stops further movement. Simultaneously spoon I9 contacts and forces damper lever 35 to pivot against the action of spring 38, moving damper 43 to the position shown, out of contact with string 44.

the wippen, as in Fig. 2, and prevents furtherstring contact by the hammer, even-thoughthe key arm may remain fully depressed.

From the above description it will belobservedw that this invention provides a more.directcoop-v eration of the various parts of the action, that" the number of parts required has been reduced,

to a minimum, and that required adjustments are simple and'few. It makes possible the manufacture ot-a piano which is relatively smallin size, yet high in quality at .a much lower cost than pianos having conventional actions. It alsoprovide s for alonger trouble free life due. to its simplified construction.

Having described the invention with sufficient clarity-to enable those familiar with this art to construct and use it, I claim:

1.- A piano action comprising: a fixed frame;

an upright damper carrying lever pivotally mounted intermediate itsends on said frame; springmeans urg ng said lever to a normal position in-whichthe damper is in contact with its string; a. -wippen.pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said frame, the inner end of saidwippen being positionedadjacent an end of I the damper carrying lever; a .spoon carried by said inner end of the wippen for contacting and pivoting the damper carrying lever in a direction to movethe damper out of contact with its string when the wippen is pivoted away from its normal position; a hammer supporting butt normally seated. on the outer end of saidwippenand pivotally secured-thereto toafford movement of the hammer toward said string; resilient means normally maintaining the butt in its seated. position; a key arm.rockably supported intermediate itsends. onsaidframe, the inner end. of thearm positionedto directly contact and move the outer end of said wippen when the opposite end of the key arm'is depressed; and adjustable meansfor stopping the pivotal movement of the wippen before the hammer is moved bodily by the wippen into actual string contact.

2. A piano actioncomprising: a frame; an upright lever carrying a string contacting damper on its upper end, said lever being pivotally mount.- ed intermediate its ends on said frame; a key arm rockably supported intermediate its ends on said frame, the inner end. of said key arm being positioned adjacent the, lower end of said lever; a wippen pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said frame between the adjacent ends of the lever and key arm; a lever contacting spoon on the inner end of the wippen; a wippen contacting capstan on the inner end of the key arm; a hammer supporting butt normally seated on the outer end of the wippen and pivotally secured thereto to afford movement of the hammer toward its string; resilient means normally maintaining the i butt in its seated position; resilient means normally maintaining the lever in a position in which its damper is in contact with the string and its lower end is in contact with said spoon; and means for stopping wippen movement prior to actual contact of the wippen supported hammer with said string, whereby motion is transmitted directly from the key arm to the wippen and simultaneously from the wippen directly to the damper lever, the wippen simultaneously moving the hammer toward its string; kineticenergy causing the hammer-to continue itsstringward movement after the wippen has ceased moving.

3. A piano action comprising: a frame; a dampenlever, awippen, and a key arm, each pivotally supported intermediate its ends on said frame, one end of: thekey arm being positioned to contact one endofthewippen and pivot it when the opposite end of the key arm is depressed; a spoon carried rigidly .by the opposite end of the wippen for directly cont-acting one end of the damper lever to Pivotsaid-leverwhen the wippen ispivoted; a damper carriedby the'opposite end of the damper lever. and normally in contact withv its piano string; a string striking hammer having one end pivotally supported on the wippen in a position normallyspaced from said string, said hammer adapted to be moved bodily toward said string when the wippen'is pivoted, and tomove pivotally into contact with said string after wippen movement ceases; resilient means normally restraining the hammer from pivotal. movement with. relation tothe wippen; and means for stopping the pivotal movement; of the wippen before the hammer is carried bodily to a position of string contact.

4. A piandaction comprising: a substantially horizontally positionedwippen pivoted intermediate its ends for movement in a vertical plane; an upright, hammer pivoted on the outer end of said wippen for movement towardastring in the same vertical plane; means, limiting the pivotal movement of said hammer ina direction away from said; string; spring means resisting the pivotal movement of said hammer in a direction toward said string; an upright damper lever pivoted intermediate its. ends for -movement in the. said plane toward and away from :said string; a damp? er carried by the upper end of said lever; spring means ur ing saidleverto pivot in adirection to normally maintain said damper in-contact'with said'string; a spoon carried on the. inner end-oi said wippen in contact with the lower end-of said damper,- lever for. retracting the damper from string contactwhen the wippenis pivoted in..a direction to move the hammer toward the string; a key arm pivoted intermediate itsendsfor movement. in thesame said vertical plane, the inner endpf-the key arm being'in contact with :the outer end of the wippen for pivoting the wippen-in'a direction to move the hammer toward said string When'the outer end of thekey arm isdepressed; and meanssfor stopping the pivotal:movement of the wippenin the mentioned direction before the wippen has moved the hammer bodily into, contact with said string.

5. The action.described in claim 4 anda capstan carried ,onthe inner. end of. said key arm for makingv adjustable contact with the outer end of said wippen.

RALPH A. WOLFE."

No references cited. 

